Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs):

A Guided Listening Path

Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders (PMADs) affect an estimated 1 in 5 birthing individuals, yet many parents remain unidentified, unsupported, or unsure whether what they’re experiencing “counts.”

This page brings together a curated listening guide from the Perinatal & Reproductive Perspectives exploring PMADs through clinical insight, lived experience, prevention, and systems-level care.

These conversations are offered in the spirit of orienting, normalizing, and reducing isolation.

Who This Guide Is For

This listening guide may be helpful if you are:

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    Pregnant or postpartum and questioning your mental health

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    Navigating anxiety, depression, OCD, bipolar disorder, PMDD, or trauma

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    Supporting a partner, family member, or friend

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    A clinician or healthcare provider seeking deeper context

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    Working in maternal health, advocacy, or policy

  • Anyone seeking to better support parents during pregnancy and postpartum

These episodes are not medical advice.

They are intended to increase understanding and support informed help-seeking.

New Here

If you’re just starting, we recommend beginning with Episodes 1, 4, and 16.

These conversations explain PMADs, normalize common symptoms, and outline safe pathways to support.

You are welcome to pause, skip, or return to episodes based on what feels supportive.

How to Use This Guide

Because some conversations are more emotionally intense than others, we recommend listening with intention rather than straight through.

Recommended Listening Order

  • Start Here: Understanding PMADs & Finding Your Bearings

    Episode 1— Perinatal Mood & Anxiety Disorders: What to Look for When Screening
    Lynn Ingram McFarland

    Episode 4 — Maternal Mental Health: Pioneering Better Access to Telehealth
    Emily Guarnotta, PsyD

    Episode 16 — Leading with Lived Experience: Peer Support, Systems, and Hope
    Wendy Davis

  • Continue With: Lived Experience & Recognition

    Episode 3 — A Complex Perinatal Journey: Beyond Postpartum
    Celeste Brinkerhoff

    Episode 5 — Beyond Postpartum Depression: Meaning-Making Amidst Colic and COVID
    Courtney Ginder

    Episode 9 — The Mindset Tapestry: Treating PMADs with a Healthy Mindset
    Deanna Blasi

  • Ground Again: Prevention, Screening & Systems

    Episode 10 — The Motherhood Survival Manual: Preventing PMADs
    Dr. Jill Zechowy

    Episode 30 — Perinatal Mental Health Screening as a Public Health Imperative
    Lynn Ingram McFarland

  • With Care: High-Intensity & Consequence-Focused Episodes

    Episode 14 — Oophorectomy, PMDD, and Hormone Replacement Therapy
    Dana Raine

    Episode 13 — Maternal Suicide: A Mother’s Reflection on Perinatal Depression
    Susan Aguayo

Listen: PMADs Podcast Playlist

Why This Matters

PMADs are common, serious, and treatable — yet often missed due to stigma, siloed screening, and lack of coordinated care.

By bringing clinical expertise, lived experience, and systems insight into one place, this guide supports earlier recognition, better conversations, and safer pathways to care.

No one should navigate perinatal mental health challenges alone.

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Additional Support

If you or someone you love needs immediate support, please contact local emergency services or a trusted healthcare provider.

You can also find support through Postpartum Support International, which offers a helpline, peer support groups, and provider referrals.